African Media Barometer Lesotho 2015 Executive Summary Lesotho has grappled with political tensions over the last few decades that range from conflict between the monarch and the government to coups, coup attempts, the banning of political parties, a constitutional crisis, civil wars, attacks on opposition members and discord between the police and army. These internal political squabbles have subsided after the return to democratic rule in 1993 but only to sporadically re-appear in one way or the other. Over the last two years, the friction intensified between the army and the police, as well as a constitutional crisis, the prorogation of parliament, an alleged attack on the former Prime Minister which he described as a coup attempt, and the flight of opposition members to neighbouring South Africa. It was strongly believed that the elections in 2012, which heralded the first ever three-party coalition government between the All Basotho Convention (ABC), the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) and the Basotho National Party (BNP), would ease these tensions and bring about lasting stability to the country’s numerous challenges. The hope for stability was thwarted as the fragile coalition, weighed down by numerous political challenges, was in danger of splintering. In May 2014, the LCD threatened to form a new coalition and the incumbent Prime Minister, Thomas Thabane responded, by proroguing Parliament, to avoid a motion that would have seen him ousted. A few weeks after the prorogation of parliament, soldiers reputedly loyal to the opposition - attacked the police headquarters, looting weapons and killing an officer. Thabane described the attack as a coup although the military denied this and instead said they were disarming the police force, as they were trying to arm parties sympathetic to the Prime Minister. The former Prime Minister Thabane subsequently fled to neighbouring South Africa. To resolve the crisis, the former Prime Minister returned to Lesotho under the protection of the South African police guard. Immediately after, a mediation team led by South African deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa encouraged the leadership to hold general elections in February 2015 – two years earlier than scheduled. This solution was expected to ease tension and resolve the political crisis. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER Lesotho 2015 7